


Our Last Days on Earth (until we’re lost at space)

by twiceify



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, I Tried, Minor Relationships, Outer Space, bad grammar, the world is dying oops, they appear for like a second
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-04-12 10:13:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19129945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twiceify/pseuds/twiceify
Summary: NA JAEMIN likes to laugh at their situation. That was good, because if he wasn’t laughing, he would be crying.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NA JAEMIN likes to laugh at their situation. That was good, because if he wasn’t laughing, he would be crying.

NA JAEMIN likes to laugh at their situation. That was good, because if he wasn’t laughing, he would be crying. While he knows what he has been asked to do is very crucial, (the world really needs this), he’s also only 18. You don’t exactly wise up at that age, and more than that, Na Jaemin is still trying to figure out who he is. His whole life he has been drifting away from his path, and at this point, Jaemin was deep in the jungle.

One day, when a letter addressed to Mr. Na Jaemin came to the rickety old orphanage he lived in, he jumped at the chance. The offers and promises made in the letter were quite a leap from his current state, and at first, they seemed far-fetched and fake. Then, one day, knocking at the door, came a black suited man asking for him. No, it wasn’t the mafia, but in fact, a government official come to take Jaemin away from the misery he was forced to call home.

It was that day (and what Jeno and Chenle would call fate), that brought him and six others boys together, foming NCT DREAM. More than that, Jaemin met his first family, people he would cherish and protect with his whole heart. In just a short, five hour car ride, his life had changed drastically, forever, and he didn’t know wether to be grateful or scared. Though his parents were gone, he felt loved. It was quite new for him, and Na Jaemin decided, in that moment (Chenle was currently gasping for air after his dolphin laugh), that he was going to hold onto this feeling for as long as he could.

The days went by, and Jaemin seemed to smile wider each day. Of course, nothing ever seemed to last too long for Jaemin, and suddenly the Dreamies were being seperated. The government said the seven of them would see each other again, but right now their top priority was to train. Jaemin did exactly that. The thought that they would be put together again pushed him through, until sweat spread down his back, and he couldn’t breath.

Another few months escaped, and then, it happened, and Jaemin had his family back. That night he held onto all six of them tightly, just to make sure they didn’t leave again. Once again, the bad has to balance out the good, and so, the government proceeded to crush Jaemin’s hope at a normal life. Not that they’re circumstances were normal at any rate, but Na Jaemin never stopped dreaming anyway.

His shoulders suddenly held a burden no one should ever hold. Counting down his days had become a habit, and not just something born from nervous tension. Too many things were happening at once, and Jaemin felt like he was thrown from his place on Earth. He was suspended in time. Worlds away from Seoul, somewhere in the black folds of space, which was very ironic considering what they were about to attempt to do.

Because of all this, Jaemin needed a distraction, and so he liked to think of himself as a hero. The people with cool equipment, and when they walked, time stopped, of course, not forgetting the music playing in the background. However, Na Jaemin felt the exact opposite, instead feeling very small. He had expectations to live up to, and as an orphan that had never been encouraged, he didn’t know if he could fulfil the expectations. Though, this time, the Dreamies would go through this challenge together, it still was too much. He wanted to run, run far away until his legs gave out underneath him, where he could break down completely, away from the prying eyes of the government.

All of this had brought him up till this point, where the seven boys wait in a steel room, suited up, and not really ready for the start of their mission (or as Renjun likes to call it, certain death). Na Jaemin is currently making jokes, trying to lighten up the mood for the rest of the team, while in reality, he wants to cry until his tears are able to fill up all the dry lakes in the world. He is certain, if he could’ve, they certainly wouldn’t be in this situation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HUANG RENJUN thinks the government is full of dumbasses. They send seven kids for adults work, and while he does think he is fully capable, it still isn’t right. The government has officially stooped as low as exploiting kids. Congrats.

HUANG RENJUN thinks the government is full of dumbasses. They send seven kids for adults work, and while he does think he is fully capable, it still isn’t right. The government has officially stooped as low as exploiting kids. Congrats. What’s even more dumb is how he’s connected to this whole mess. He shudders slightly, and decides to put the thought away. 

Exactly one year ago, Renjun was stolen away from his home. Ok, maybe not stolen, considering it was the government, but they certainly hadn’t asked him (Renjun had known his rights since the age of six, and they certainly didn’t include the government dragging him away from his life without his say). 

As far as he was concerned (in that moment at least, now he had a whole lot more to worry about), the Academy of Gifted Kids was his home. Renjun didn’t know where his parents were (he knows better now), and neither did he particularly care. His home was here in the Academy as it’s top student, and anyone who said otherwise wouldn’t be walking for days. It wasn’t like anyone would anyways, Huang Renjun had quite the reputation for his words, and coming right after, his punches. He was certain the whole reason the Academy still put up with him was for his brains. 

To put it in the nicest way, Renjun, frankly, didn’t give a shit about the problem they were supposed to fix. He figured they were all going to die eventually anyways, and this made things faster. No need to be sad, that’s just the way life works. Therefore, when he was introduced to the six other boys, he scoffed at them and walked off.

What he didn’t realize was that getting close to the other Dreamies was pretty much inevitable (Renjun thinks it started back when Jisung spent the whole day playing Fortnite until Renjun was sick and tired of it and very concerned for Jisung). For the most part, his memory of the Academy slowly faded (despite everything that place still does hold a special place in Renjun’s heart). Even though, later, they did get split up temporarily for their training, it didn’t really affect him. He focused solely on annoying the officials instead of training (he decided that gave him joy and filled up the little hole that was created from all the things that had happened to him in that past months).

However, there was one thing that bothered Renjun (with the amount of things flying around in his head it was impossible not to have this thought cross his mind). To be simple enough, they were expected to save the world (that was quite obvious even to Renjun, who hadn’t been listening half the time). That was good and all (it really wasn’t), but how exactly were they supposed to do it? Renjun knows well the government is ready to twist corners just to get the outcome they need, always keeping their goal very clear in mind (that had become evident to Renjun). So why hadn’t they been informed on how they would be carrying out this mission? Clearly there was a catch to this whole ordeal, and it only made Renjun less keen in trusting the government. Nonetheless, the catch never came to him.

Alas here he sits, on a metal chair with his feet up on the blinding white table top (he’s holding back the desire to spit on it). He is very occupied at the moment, going through his list of people he likes to blame. First of all, he would like to blame the people of the world for being stupid and not trying in the least to save their resources. Secondly, himself for not putting up a bigger fight against the government. Lastly, but most importantly, the government for practicing their assholish culture, and being the dumbasses they are. He wishes that they never change (kind of at least), otherwise he might run out of people to blame. Besides, who’s bright idea was it to send seven kids to Mars with the fate of the world on their shoulders? Dumbasses.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> LEE JENO agrees with the government (Renjun would call him a betrayer). Given the way the world was deteriorating, if the government hadn’t done something sooner or later they probably wouldn’t be here to celebrate their twenty-first birthday.

LEE JENO agrees with the government (Renjun would call him a betrayer). Given the way the world was deteriorating, if the government hadn’t done something sooner or later they probably wouldn’t be here to celebrate their twenty-first birthday. Though it is also true that there aren’t many things that can get Lee Jeno mad, and furthermore, he believes he’s already been saved from his own personal dilemma. Which is why Jeno sits patiently, soft smile on his features, nervously playing with his fingers, because he’s not sure if he’s capable of this. 

To say Jeno came from an interesting (borderline crazy) family is quite the understatement of the year. “Family” is already incorrect, because Jeno was in the foster system. Tossed around from home to home, yet he never complained. His quiet demeanor seemed to off-put people, and as a result, every few months, he slept in a new bed, in a new room, in a house with new people. Think of how adopting animals work; the most enthusiastic, and outgoing get taken first, and the ones that are not, simply put, don’t (horrible but it is how human nature works).Thus Lee Jeno had never gotten adopted. Furthermore, the latest family Jeno had been thrown into were truly masterpieces. 

At first glance, they seemed normal. He had been greeted with a smile, an offer for food, and shown to his room with grace (more than he’d ever gotten before). For Jeno, things were great, it seemed to him that finally he’d get a good family. Oh boy was he wrong. 

Due to never getting a permanent family, Jeno never learned how exactly to open up. His feelings were locked deep in his soul, and that’s where they stayed for most of his life. To cope with everything, he spent a lot of time to himself, reflecting, and digesting whatever life fired at him. On the other hand, according to the Choi's (Jeno’s new “family”), all of this emitted a scary aura from Jeno. So obviously, according to them, the only logical explanation for this was black magic, because, duh. He was, obviously, practicing the dark arts, and planned to curse their family, because, again, duh. 

Despite all of this, Jeno could tell they were good people; they hadn’t kicked him out, and still, did in fact give him shelter, and food (no love for people who dabbled in dark magic though). Just like that, he started to drift slightly away from them, but the Choi’s had been ignoring most of his presence anyways, so it wasn’t the biggest loss. Which is also why, when the government came for him at the supermarket he agreed in a heartbeat that he’d go wherever they would take him, however reckless it seemed (though he did wish he could’ve taken his basket full of snacks he had picked up, and that he had been wearing anything else but his moonmin pjs). The Choi’s had probably thought karma had finally caught up to Jeno for all the dark magic he had done, and the intergalactic police for the dark arts had snatched him or something (I wouldn’t know, unfortunately, I don’t live in their heads, it would’ve made an amazing story though). 

This is also the point in Jeno’s story, where all the other stories of the Dreamies collide head first into one gigantic mess (which is an accurate description of what they are). Jeno meets the others, and boom, suddenly he has a real family, but it’s four not-really adults, and two teenagers (just imagine this happening over a period of time). Afterwards they split for a short amount of time, and put in intense individual trainings.

The trainings, however, weren’t the easiest things for Jeno. Never being tested as a foster kid, everything in his life was pretty laid-back for him (minus the mental trauma Jeno gathered throughout those years). That was the moment, at least for him, where it really occurred to Jeno what he was really supposed to do. Not some fun family field trip, where they might save the world on the way (disregard all of the previous children shows you’ve watched). No. They were going to Mars. As one of the last hopes in evacuating most everyone on Earth to somewhere else they could live. Earth was dying, and they were going to die too if they didn’t find some solutions real soon. To sum things up, shit really hit the fan for Jeno.

However, those weren’t the only challenges he faced, in fact, something far bigger seemed to take him over. Doubt. Doubt that would cloud Lee Jeno’s mind, until the only thing that could be heard was the sole voice of his worries. Moments like these, moments where he wasn’t sure what was going to happen, and if the government really had chosen the correct person. Things went on like this for quite awhile, until Jeno knew he had to digress from the current path he was following. It wasn’t easy (he wasn’t even sure if there was anything simple left in his life), but he slowly made an effort to block the waves of worry that came over him (but not without the help of Na Jaemin and Haung Renjun’s constant support, and really the rest of the Dreamies too). Of course, some seemed to stubbornly remain, but not everything can be perfect.

Accordingly so, now Jeno sits on a metal chair anxiously waiting for Dream Launch (the groups self-proclaimed code name for the launch). He takes in the slightest distractions, Donghyuck’s metal chair only slightly having rust, Mark looking like he wants to go home, and Jisung, well, Jisung is still playing video games. No matter how much Jeno believes with his full heart the government means well, he doesn’t understand why he’s doing this willingly (they ought to at least pay him something). Well, here goes nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PARK JISUNG is thinking about the video games he might be able to smuggle onto the spaceship. He isn’t quite sure video games work on Mars, or if it is too late to do that. He sits quietly in the corner, watching as Rejun and Donghyuck fight about something trivial yet again (“Those are mine” “YOU STOLE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU SHIT”, and then Mark on the side “Oi language”).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi, I haven't updated in the longest time, bt here I am now LOL. I haven't read over this too much either, so sorry in advance for any mistakes I make.

PARK JISUNG is thinking about the video games he might be able to smuggle onto the spaceship. He isn’t quite sure video games work on Mars, or if it is too late to do that. He sits quietly in the corner, watching as Rejun and Donghyuck fight about something trivial yet again (“Those are mine” “YOU STOLE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE YOU SHIT”, and then Mark on the side “Oi language”). 

 

The youngest one out of all of them, Jisung still hadn’t been spared from the suffocating misery that naturally lies in the group of misfits. Looking back, Jisung finally had realized how toxic his childhood environment was, without the shield of video games around him, and how it had subtly messed up his young mind. He’ll never show it, but Jisung knows that he is very fortunate to have been taken away by child services, and later the government, rather than have been one of the many children wasting away in their parents brutal words. 

 

Even more, Jisung knows, he knows very well that he’s even more lucky to not have those brutal words aimed at him. Much more, it was his parents that went back and forth each day, tears and heartbreak, and Jisung had grown up. Grown up enough to know life wasn’t always a symphony of smiles and laughs. Grown up enough to know he needed some sort of coping mechanism or he was going to crack. 

 

So Jisung turned to the only natural thing that was in reach, and seemed to contain just a little bit of innocence that he had lost so early. Video games. He dove right in, until he could very much be considered South Korea’s prodigy in video games. The moment he puts on his cheap, plastic headset he had found in some box near the kitchen, he ascends above the glass bottle that cracks, and breaks into miniscule pieces just outside of his door. At this point, Jisung was sure that these weren’t his parents. If they were, he wants a refund. 

 

It comes as no surprise when one night someone is banging down on their feeble front door, and that it’s actually child service looking for a certain “Jisung Park” for being neglected by his parents (he wouldn’t really call it that, more of a “they fight every second, and act like I don’t really exist so they don’t really bother me but like”). It wasn’t very sad for Jisung, more a gentle relief that he was finally leaving the horrid place, and he let go of all the fear that had always been entrapped in his body. The only thing that surprises him is that someone had found out, and acted about his current condition (Jisung is, to this day, still thoroughly convinced that it was the kind older girl that had reported to the authorities, who had found him crying at the library one afternoon, and he had completely let out everything for just that small period of time).

 

Jisung had quickly gathered up his belongings (read: video games, and some clothes), and left the door way in a rush. With his parents in a buzzed mess, they hadn’t even known what was going. Then the police pulled up, and things got complicated real fast. Jisung simply shrugged and stepped into the car waiting to take him far, far away from this prison. He didn’t know where he was going, and to be honest, after everything, wherever he was going couldn’t have been any worse than his previous situation. So Jisung relaxed into the plush seats, and fiddled with the broken Switch he had found in the garbage near the apartments (the Switch hadn’t really even been broken, with a slight crack across the front, and Jisung had felt a certain burning anger towards the people who were buried in money.)

 

Meeting the other boys, for Jisung, was like his world had just opened up in blinding sunshine. Suddenly, Jaemin wouldn’t let go of him, and Donghyuck was teasing him for knocking over a glass of water. Renjun would quickly whisk away the Switch if it had gone on for too long. 

 

And then there was Chenle. As if the world wasn’t bright enough yet, now everything sparkled. Chenle, who would laugh his uplifting dolphin laugh, which let himself no choice but to let his face form into a small smile. Chenle, who would hold his hand when they were watching grotesque horror movies, and Chenle, when he slowly unwrapped the enigma that was Jisung. The first to see someone other than the quiet, and video game filled Jisung. His first friend.

 

If it was possible, Jisung was slowly gaining back the innocence he had lost during the harsh tides of his childhood. 

 

Then they were told of going to Mars, and Jisung just sunk into his chair, and gave a quick thumbs up. Then, he slept in the torn green chair, of the head office, so he could stay up and play Fire Emblem later. Somewhere in the corner, Mark was looking down towards the pristine white floor, and Hyuck looked like he wanted to kick over the glass desk in front of them. It was unfortunate, because Jisung knew Donghyuck had enough self-control to contain himself, and he really wanted to see Hyuck kick over a desk.

 

Jisung just needs to beat this last level. Then they can get shipped off to the planet of red doom. It’s all good. He just needs to get this down. Then with a sharp noise, the console dies, and there goes victory. Jisung just stares in silent shock, and disbelief, and then plops down on the floor with disbelief. There he mourns his drained Switch, until he can hear dolphin squeaks aimed at him. Jisung turns around and just glares at Chenle, slowly contorting into a grin. Quickly contemplating the best ways to finish the bothersome last level, he reaches the conclusion that it most probably doesn’t have power outlets. Jisung needs some apple juice.


End file.
